


Seeing The Real Me

by Zenzen_Hana



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Magic, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, magician
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28403529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenzen_Hana/pseuds/Zenzen_Hana
Summary: Things should go right once the Horsemen have been safely sent to the Eye's HQ. Dylan decides to let them sit back and relax for a while. But things don't go as smoothly as he thought. Danny is starting to act differently; and it's up to the Horsemen to find out what and why!
Relationships: J. Daniel Atlas/Dylan Rhodes, Lula May/Jack Wilder, Merritt McKinney/Henley Reeves
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue

It was all going well. After the capture of Walter and Tressler, The Eye had decided to let the Horsemen an insight in their true selves. They were sent on a plane alongside Li and Bu Bu from London all towards Greenwich and things were seeming to lighten up. Their show by the London Eye had a positive impact on not only their image but also the Horsemen's pride. 

In the plane, Jack sat with Lula, retelling his amazing tale about his brave chase from the cops to Merritts place. He exaggerated much about the gunshots and random bypasses who gawked at him in amazement and Merritt say through his lies yet kept quiet. The man wanted to see his 'younger brother' show off to his new profounded girlfriend. After Lula's kiss under the New Years fireworks, they had officially announced their relationship and managed to get acknowledging cheers from their fans.

Lula sat by Jack's side, taking in his lies with a smile. She was super excited after finally getting with the man of his life and could only stare at his beautiful face, blinking only slightly as if she was worried it was all a dream and with any sudden lurch she would've awakened from it. But whenever Jack planted a kiss on her head of held her hand, her smile would brighten at the fact that this was all reality and she snuggled closer to his body heat.

Merritt sat across the duo, watching their conversations while sitting back in his chair. His legs were propped up a table wit his porkpie hat covering his eyes slightly as if he was sleeping. Every now and then, Merritt would offer the others a comment such as they tried pulling in to their conversation. But when nobody gave him acknologement, he would glance over at Dylan who sat beside him with a laptop on his lap.

Dylan, now glad he could use his fathers name 'Shrike', sat on a chair surrounded by files, a portable mini printer and his laptop. He was typing down reports about their latest show and asked around for the other's advice on their side of the story. He had finished the report an hour ago but was rechecking for any flaws in it. He was taping a straw at his chapped lips while his body was wrapped by a fluffy blanket. After his near-death moment in the Thames, he was still slightly shivering in the cold and needed as much as cover from the airconditioners. His mind was relapsing the moment of victory when they revealed the enemy duo to the world and he smirked before readjusting his words in the reports.

And hidden in the back, trying to keep himself away from the others, was J. Daniel Atlas. Sure he was happy they had caught Tressler and Walter but something felt wrong. He knew in his gut that no matter how much planning Dylan did, Daniel had destroyed it wall by trying to defy him and meet up with the Eye. What made things worse was the Eye he was suppose to meet was actually Walter himself who had planned their entire vendetta in China. This made his burn with guilt and he pulled the blanket over his head, hoping to keep the sounds of the others happy voices from reaching him. He knew that if they noticed him, they would immediately snap about his failures and ego. 

'It's better if I leave... I'm sure the Eye will let me off without the others knowing. I've caused too much trouble for them... I nearly led them to death...Especially Dyl-' Before he could finish his thought, he noticed the said man shivering in his blanket which just added to his guilt. Daniel watched the man shake and rub his palms in hope for some friction to provide him heat. Danny decided to do some good for the man before actually leaving them. He stood up silently and headed for the back to search for a flight attendance that could give him some sleeping pills. He knew it wasn't much of a plan but Dylan needed rest and Danny wanted to do his best to provide comfort for the man. 

Reaching the back, he found nobody there and frowned. 'Oh, right. The attendances are in front with the pilot.' He chose to search for the pills and turned towards the cupboards. The plane took a sudden lurch and Daniel tripped over his own feet and fell into a sink, splashing water over his shirt. He cursed quietly and quickly fixed his mistake before looking back at the others. He didn't want to trouble them with his own clumsy mistakes. Luckily, Lula had fallen onto Jack, connecting their lips and causing a cheer from the others. He smiled at the sight. 'They look happy without me. I'm sure it will all be okay if I leave.' Danny finally found the drawer with the pills and began pushing through the bottles before a thought zapped through his mind.

'Merritt is a master at hypnotism; Jack is way better at me in cards and escape tricks; Lula's a death maniac while Dylan is practically an all-rounder champ. If they do let Dylan in with the shows... There's no place for me...' His mind clenched as memories began flooding in and his kneeled down and clenched his teeth while muttering the same words over and over again...

"Please don't kick me out... I can't face it if it's you guys who does so..."


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is moved from my Wattpad account @zoe_animebaka so check there out for my anime fanfics regarding 'x reader'

As they reached Greenwich HQ for the Eye, the Horsemen had only one thought in mind; WOW. That is what Dylan concluded from their reactions. But he caught sight of a different emotion in Atlas's expression. 'Is there something else I'm missing here?' Dylan shook that thought aside at the sight of a door slightly opened and he slipped out of the gang to head in.

While Dylan escaped from their midst, Li and Bu bu greeted the Horsemen with the impressive interior room. It was filled to the brim with documents of plans, diagrams of the act, and miniature plastic statues of them. It was complete with comfy sofas, heaters for the cold weather in Greenwich, and enough things to keep them busy for hours of research. Merritt nudged Danny at the sight of a huge library but didn't notice the solemn longing look in the boys' eyes.

As Jack and Lula gasped at the sight of the man they met in the vent who was happily sipping tea to their amusement, Danny went to Li's side and bit his bottom lip in reconsideration. But no matter how tempting this place was, he knew he would only cause trouble. Li noticed his discomfort and asked if anything was wrong.

"No! Everything here is splendid, Li. I mean, I would die to have a lifetime in reading the entire library!" he joked with a small smile, which caught the Chinese boy's eye.

"Well, you don't have to die for it. I mean; you're already here..." Li invitingly opened his arms. "Unless you think there's a test for this all. You're wrong. You all have caught The Eye's higher uppers and they accept you to own one of their best safety houses for your Horsemen."

"Yes and no..." he muttered, making Li falter slightly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm super hyped an all. But I was hoping to meet them. You know, the President of the Eye. Or perhaps the boss of my section..."

Li studied the illusionist for a moment before pursing his lips. "Daniel, you can't just meet the president. But you can try to talk to your boss. He's new in his position but it all should be easy for the Horsemen to converse their problems with him!"

"Why? Is he a fan of us?" Danny questioned while his heart skipped. If he were lucky, the man wouldn't question much if he said he wanted to leave the cause of Henley or overpressure as a Horseman.

"Yes and no..." Li grinned, copying Daniels's previous words, "He's your main man, Dylan. He's being promoted as we speak with Thaddeus, your previous boss of the America border!"

His mind blew at the very thought. Dylan is his new main boss? This meant, he would have to face Dylan with the real facts instead of trying to fake it all and that isn't going to be an easy task. Danny had planned to meet up with his higher up and get the hell out of Dylan's way. Not face Dylan himself and blurt out his own thoughts of his failures. Daniel noticed Merritt and the others heading for a door they didn't notice and followed suit.

The door led to a room of Daniels hero; Lionel Shrike. The entire room was filled with books, furniture, and even portraits of the magician. The room had been dedicated to him and his very son stood by Thaddeus, the one man the Horsemen were still wary of. When he split the beans about him being Lionel Shrike's best friend, the others began bombing him with questions. But Danny kept his distance while his mind shot to what Li had said.

"' He's your main man, Dylan. He's being promoted as we speak with Thaddeus, your previous boss of the America border!' If that's the case, I just missed my chance to escape! Dylans' the boss!' Danny's gaze met Dylan who was giving off a loopy-sided smile and a shrug. The conversation he had earlier was something nerve-wracking for the man but he was happy as long as he was able to cohere with his Horsemen.

To escape, Thaddeus pointed out a doorway hidden behind a curtain and they all turned their gazes to the door. Dylan grabbed Daniels's wrist and pulled him along with his smile brightening. It was enough to make the boy falter and completely lose command of him. Danny may have been a control freak for years but being with Dylan, a man he had trusted, he didn't mind offering a bit of control when he was in a great mood.

They met up with a spiral staircase heading downwards and Lula raced down with Jack by her heels. The duo was grinning at the wonders of this place and Merritt followed them like a cameraman, snapping any embarrassing moment of the duo to keep as his own personal blackmail material. Dylan and Daniel were the first to reach the bottom where they met a massive wood carved door. Danny felt his heart hammer to his chest in anticipation as they opened it and none of them could hold back their gasps.

The door had been an entry to a wide and long stage the size of a theater. Spotlights hung above them and closets scattered the walls providing the magicians the amount of equipment they could've only dreamt of owning. Jack and Lula rushed to the closest closet and ripped open the door before exploring the contents. Merritt hurried backstage to check out the lighting and microphones and speakers. Dylan stood in front of the stage, viewing the seats and closing his eyes, imagining an audience like no other while Daniel stood in the doorway, his heart dropped.

He wanted this all. He wanted the joy they all felt. He wanted to be apart of their family and feel the warmth he has never felt before. But he knew, somewhere in the bottom of his heart he knew, that this was all a fantasy for him. 'I've caused them enough trouble. I shouldn't be apart of them.' His eyes watched Dylan's expression brighten and he held a hand over his aching heart. 'They are happy without me. They don't need me anymore...' Danny slowly turned around and jumped at the sight of Thaddeus on the staircase, hands shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

"Now where do you think you're going, Mr. Atlas?" he asked while standing up. "I assume you should be with your fellow Horsemen, living the dreams!"

"I'm done, Thaddeus." He plainly stated, surprising the old man. "I want out. Bring me to the president. I don't want the others to know."

"Now why would you do that? Surely you still want to be with them, right?" Thaddeus questioned while standing up. "I can help you. I have the email address of the President of The Eye, but I want you to consider your current situation. Do you really want to leave your new family?"

It really stung Daniel. He didn't want this. Daniel wanted to just forget to the entire ordeal and live on as the Horsemen. But deep down, he is concern about their thoughts about him after everything that he had caused. He had tried to contact the Eye without considering Dylan's point of staying hidden. The Eye he had contacted turned out to be a fake who stole information from his phone and sent Chase to annoy Merritt. He had ruined Lula's first showcase by letting them get caught by Walter and blew Jack's cover without his consent. And worse of all, he nearly killed Dylan. He knew there was nothing he could do to repay for his mistakes.

Thaddeus noticed Daniel's depressing expression and sighed before handing over a slip of paper, gave a smack on his shoulder, and walked away. Daniel stood alone by the staircase with his eyes on the ground and his shoulders drooped.


	3. Chapter 2

Dylan noticed Danny's disappearance and hurried back to the stairway, only to find him sitting with his head between his knees. He kneeled forward and lifted a hand with concern.

"Danny. Is there something bothering you?" he asked while giving his shoulder a little shake.

Daniel lifted his head and gave him a small smile with a shake of his head. "No, it's nothing important, Dylan. I'm just getting used to all this, my head's a mess right now."

"Well, we all are in a daze but I'm sure you can get used to it!" he smiled while patting his shoulder and his grin widens. "You want to go check out the library with me?"

"No thanks, Dylan." He said quickly, surprising the older man. He didn't expect him to decline an invitation to a library, the one place Daniel could even sleep in. Now that he noticed, Daniel's eyes seemed to be rather more hollow than usual and his upright shoulder stance was lacking. "I'm fine, really! I just want to go rest somewhere. My ass aches cause of sitting on the plane for too long. I guess I just want some shut-eye."

That could explain a bit but something was still bothering Dylan. "You didn't sleep in the plane?" he asked while eyeing the dark circles around his eyes.

"Couldn't sleep with the hum of the audience ringing in my head!" he chuckled warily. "I'll be fine after a nap."

"Okay. I'll tell the others about that. You go upstairs and claim a room for your own. Li had helped us with the keys on the door locks and our bags in front." He explained while standing up and offering a hand.

To his dismay, Danny declined his hand and stood on his own before heading upstairs silently. This made the concern in his heart greater than ever. 'Is Danny okay? He doesn't seem so well.' Before he could turn around, the mentalist spoke his exact thoughts from the doorway.

"Merritt? Were you listening to our conversation?" Dylan asked, bewildered the man was an ears dropper. "That's not a good habit, McKinney."

"Sure it isn't but I noticed you guys were missing and I came, only to find Danny walking upstairs. He never just struts off like that, Dylan." He said while folding his arms and lifting a brow. "What's going on with Danny-boy?"

"I'm not entirely sure. He says he's just tired, maybe that's it?" Dylan asked while leaning into the doorway. "He's going upstairs to get some rest. I told him I would tell you all."Merritt just sighed and accepted that statement while joining Dylan on the stage. Merritt knew nothing good would come with questioning the illusionist's thoughts. He may have been a great mentalist but some people could block their thoughts. Merritt knew that much ever since he first joined the Horsemen.

When they first met in the old apartment with Henley and not Lula nor Dylan, Merritt managed to make out Jack and Henley's background by their expressions, clothing, and nature of speaking. Henley was your usual rich girl with a cocky mom-like attitude among the Horsemen. She loved them all like siblings and took her escaping magic with pride. She seemed to have a hated background among family members, thus concluding her loving self.

Jack was your usual beat-up kid whose been living on the streets longer than you would have anticipated. His pickpocket skills are incredible and he couldn't say much when his wallet was nicked and only noticed when he saw the boy paying with the money from his own. His background was full of pain and seeing how he loved Daniel like an idol, he knew the boy found magic more than just entertainment. He saw it as a skill for life usage and thrill. He slowly took in the boy like his younger brother and would surely be the best man at Jack's wedding with Lula.

But Daniel was the one person he just couldn't read. Daniel J. Atlas, the main illusionist. He was chosen for his impressive talent for attracting a crowd. He's a complete control freak but deep down, Merritt has found only a few things concerning him. Apparently, he has trouble reading small writings so he needs glasses during those times; besides that, he has a weak immunity system so gets sick easily and finally, Merritt knows the boy wants the best for his team.

But he couldn't read the boys' background or his utmost deepest thoughts. He didn't know how the kid would handle pressure and he was currently concern if the boy still held fault about the Lionel Shrike Safe incident. He could still recall the look of fear over Daniels's face as he lunged towards the river; stripping only his coat off and plunging into the river to retrieve Dylan. Merritt could recall Daniels' frantic struggle to get Dylan's unconscious body onto the surface and how the younger magician panicked insight of his leader not breathing. Merritt knew somewhere in Daniels's mind, the boy was still recalling that situation and it wasn't a happy thought.

Merritt glanced over at Dylan who was telling the others to not mess up the locker. 'I wonder if he does know much about that kid's background.' He walked over to the sighing leader before asking; "Do you think Danny's going to be okay?"

Dylan gave him a look at the corner of his eyes before sighing. "I don't know, Merritt. Danny likes to keep things to himself and solve them on his own. I think we should just do that."Merritt frowned at Dylan's short sight and huffed; "But don't you think, as his friends we should help?" He looked back at the door. "Maybe he needs someone to hear his problems? Not everyone can keep things to themselves, Dylan."

Dylan reconsidered this before shaking his head. He didn't want to disturb the illusionist. He was sure the boy might want some alone time and needed some space. He gave Merritt a reassuring nod before beckoning the others to follow him back upstairs. "Let's go order some dinner!"

As they rushed upstairs, they chatted among themselves about the new products from the fast-food restaurants and Merritt went upstairs after telling them to order him anything. He found the five rooms and one in particular near the toilet were closed. 'Danny...'

Without much thought, he approached the place and gave the door a knock. There was the sound of typing but it came to a stop before the door opened. Merritt wasn't so surprised to see Daniel in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He quickly glanced over Daniels' shoulder and caught a glimpse of a light screen. 'He's busy.'

"I didn't expect you to visit me, McKinney. Is there something I can help you with?" Daniel asked formally while taking a step out and closing the door to hide the contents of his room.

"No, just wanted to tell you that Jack is ordering pizza and maybe some burgers. You are going to join us for dinner, right?" he asked while his mind wandered towards the nights in Macau. He noticed how little Daniel ate during meal times.

"No, I'm good. I'm writing an email though so I don't plan on leaving my room," he said softly. 

"But thanks for the offer, Merritt. I'm not hungry."

"Bullshit, Danny." He cursed. "You should be starving by now, kiddo. I don't want you to collapse at any time. And who are you emailing at a time like this when we should be staying under the radar?"

He noticed the wince at the sudden uprising tone of voice and the way his eyes drifted to the left as he said; "Just Henley. She wants an update on how we are; that's all..." Merritt could feel the discomfort increasing among them and he slowly sighed.

"Okay, I'll tell them that. Good night, Danny..." And with that, he let the boy reenter his room, leaving the weight of discomfort rising in his heart.

'He was lying... Why?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bromance among Merritt and Daniel! I swear Merritt is best boi for elder-brother-figure!


	4. Chapter 3

Daniel returned to his room and sighed. 'Merritt is on to me, I need to make this quick...' He walked towards his desk and sat down before glancing at his draft.

To: theyespres@gmail.comFrom: dannyjalats@gmail.comSubject: Let me out.

I'm sorry to suddenly email you but I've been hoping for something. I've noticed my downside of this over ego self-raging in my heart and I've caused more trouble than anyone in the Horsemen. I would like out from the Eye and if possible without the consent of my fellow Horsemen.

I feel like this way I can no longer cause them troubles or inflict pain. My well-being is not my priority, theirs' is. I want them to be safe and happy, not troubled, and endangered. So please relieve me from my position as a Horsemen and a member of The Eye and I will leave without hesitation. I have nobody to tell and no reason to do so.I hope you take my thoughts into reconsideration.

J. Daniel Atlas.

Daniel looked back at the email and reread it twice before frowning. 'What if this email is tapered with? Someone would definitely know I'm leaving!' He checked again and again before changing the last line.

James Dawson.

With that correction, he moved the mouse to tap on the sent button and leaned back on his chair. As his eyes stared at the ceiling, he felt memories pass through his mind. The first meeting... The Lover; The Hermit; The High Countess and Death... Our first show... Getting Tressler... Framing Thaddeus... Merry-Go-Round and Dylan... Henley leaving... Meeting Lula... Meeting the fake Eye... Show against Octa... reawaking in China... Stealing the stick... Dylan punching him and getting saved by his ass... Dylan nearly drowning... Dylan unconscious...

With that image in his head, tears welled up and he covered his eyes before sobbing softly. "Please don't hate me... Please don't kick me out... I can't bear it if it's you guys..." When his hand fell on a cold surface, he lifted up it and realized it was blinking with a notification;

Dylan: Danny! Dinner's here! 

He frowned at this before cringing. 'That's why I'll leave before you do...'

Daniel didn't notice when he drifted asleep but he soon found himself in the apartment yelling at Dylan. "You're an ex-FBI! You're not a magician! You're nobody!" He could see the look of distaste in Dylan's eye and the scene shifted. He was with Walter, listening to how he told him his ego had caused the plan to succeed. He could see the look of anger and loss of trust in the fellow horsemen eyes and when the scene shifted, he found himself viewing Dylan screaming, being stuffed into the same green safe that had taken the life of his father. The words of his anger back in the apartment echoed in his mind as he heard Dylan's cries. He was calling him out! Why couldn't he get any closer?

"DYLAN! NO!"

Daniel sat up abruptly and he realized he was crying. The tears fell onto his lap and he only then realize his heart was thumping against his chest like mad while his breathing was heavy and uneasy. 'Calm down! Calm down! He's safe! You're in a safe house! Not in Macau! You-' He leaned down and stifled his cries of pain while wrapping his arms around his body. "He can't be safe with me... That was all my fault!" he stuffed face in his blanket to stop the sounds from escaping the room before his eyes met his digital alarm clock.

1:15 A.M. 'I barely slept and now I don't feel like sleeping.' Daniel slowly stood up and held a blanket around his body before stepping outside. He made sure the coast was clear before shuffling towards the toilet with the blanket being dragged behind like a tail. His hands fumbled with the switch and as the blinding lights turned on, he stumbled in and locked the door. The humming of the lights filled his ears and he sat down on the toilet seat before sighing.

His mind filled with the images from his nightmare and he grit his teeth harder. 'Calm down, James! You're in a safe house and Dylan's fast asleep in his room. Nobody is getting hurt... yet.' He stood up and turned on the tap before splashing water over his face. Once, twice and he took a deep breath. When he felt his heartbeat slow down and his breathing steadied, he looked at his reflection. 'I look like shit.'

The pale face and dark circles around his eyes made him look like a panda. His pupils have diluted in fear and the lines from his former tears were visible. He knew that if any of the Horsemen caught sight of him in that state, they would immediately call for Dylan and get him a doctor. The last thing he wanted was to cause them more trouble. But that was when things became more complicated.

"Danny? I know you're in there, are you okay?" the female voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "You looked like a 3-year-old with that blanket that is still half under the door. I can take it away before forcing you to come out." She said.

"Are you going to take my blanket hostage?" he chuckled dryly. "Because I have many other spares in my room!"

"Danny, I'm not letting you enter your room until you face me..." Lula frowned. "Come on out if you're okay!" she said while her hands lay on her hips. She stared at the door for a good few seconds before the sound of the flush rang and the door opened. She was surprised to face the stone face of Daniel. He stared at her for a while before huffing.

"I just woke up too early and accidentally dragged my blanket alongside in my pants, that's all..." he explained while staring at Lula like she was a disgusting bug he would squash at any moment. "Now can I go back o my room?"

Lula merely stared at his facial expression. She took in the horrible look of his eye bags, pale face, and sweat clinging on his t-shirt. She could feel something going on yet couldn't do much. But she knew someone could help. So without further adieu, she let Danny pass her before she walked back down the hallway. She kept Daniel at the corner of her eye until he shut his door and she hurried to the door next to her room. 'I'm sure Jack can deal with this. He's one of the only Horsemen that can talk to Daniel without getting into trouble.'

As she knocked on the door, she awaited a reply before the sound of someone stumbling out of bed hit her ears. Lula could hear her boyfriend's dry throat cough in discomfort before he opened his door and faced her in disbelief without his eyes open.

"Lula, I can clearly smell your perfume," he groaned. "What did you wake me up so early for?" She slowly pushed her way in before closing the door and watched him wipe his face.

"It's Danny," she said briefly. "I heard him wake up by a scream. He barely does that and I'm a light sleeper so I'm positive," she added, making Jack open his eyes in confusion. "I know I'm still new and maybe he's done this in the past, but I-"

"No, Danny's a heavy sleeper." Jack interrupted. "Sure I don't know him as much as Henley but I do know he works too much and when he sleeps, he sleeps like a log. Only if we're in the middle of a mission, he keeps his sleeping light." He explained while looking at the door as if wondering if he should walk out and demand an explanation from the illusionist.

"So, it's not normal?" Lula asked and was confirmed by a nod from her boyfriend. "I think you should go talk to him. He doesn't look like he'll be sleeping any time sooner." She muttered while gripping his hand with her own trembling fingers.

Jack felt her tremble with concern and sighed. He wanted to help Danny as much as he could but deep down, Jack knew the man prioritized his surroundings and hates when others ask about his own well being so he clenched his fist and shook his head. "We'll wait and see if this continues first. Only if the situation is truly dire, I'll talk to him."

Lula nodded before she was lead by Jack into his bed. He knew the girl wanted some support at this time so he decided to sleep with her. While lying by her side, the couple stared at the plain ceiling while their thoughts were the exact same.

'I wish I can help him.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that isn't his real name but Daniel's back ground in this fanfic is my own based on my own idea to make it super awesome! Await for the best!


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning, Dylan woke up to the feeling of the sun burning his dry skin and he stumbled out to get a glass of water for his scorching throat. He passed Merritt who was scanning the TV channels and waved lazily at Jack and Lula who were sharing a bowl of cereal. When he reached the fridge and drank the cold liquid, he exhaled in relief before taking in his surroundings. 'Something's missing...'

"Guys, where's Danny?" He asked with a frown. His eyes raised to the door nearest to the toilet and found it wide open but empty. 'Library, perhaps?'

Merritt suddenly turned from the couch and faced the other fellow Horsemen. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk about that kid." This caught the others' attention and they turned his way to face the question. "Yesterday, he told me he was going to give Henley an update about us on email but was clearly lying. Here's the thing, Danny boy is the type of guy who is great at lying but it was too obvious this time. And I asked Henley about this but she wasn't in contact with that guy ever since she left."

Lula sat up straight in her seat and inclined to them all. "Actually, last night I woke up around one in the morning with the sound of Danny screaming. I'm a light sleeper so don't even think I might've heard wrong!" She added quickly before continuing, "I asked Jack if it was normal that he looked like shit in the toilet and Jack said 'no'. Heck, Danny even tried to cover it up, much to his efforts. No offense but it was pretty bad."

Jack slumped on the table and grunted, "I think he's just tired of the whole mission and needs some time to rest. I suggest we leave him alone unless things get worse." He watched as the mentalist and his girlfriend gave him a look of loath and he raised his hands defensively. "I mean, this is Danny, guys! He hates others asking about his own personal things!"

"Speaking of personal things," Merritt suddenly intervened before facing Dylan. "What is Danny-boys' background?"

Dylan kept his eyes on his empty glass while feeling all gazed upon him. If there was one thing he hated was being in the center of attention for too long. That was one of his main reasons he got the Horsemen to do his 30-year vendetta against Thaddeus. Now, the Horsemen wanted answers and he had to provide or choose to keep things private. With a sigh, he shook his head sadly. "Out of all the research I've done on you guys, I couldn't find anything about Danny's true blood family. He managed to completely destroy any ties with them."

The others took in that information with a frown. They didn't expect this. They were sure Dylan understood Danny the best but if the guy didn't know anything about his blood relatives, there was no way he could know his true nature. Lula slumped in her stool and Jack scooped a spoon of cornflakes in his mouth before muttering. "But back to the main topic Dylan, no, I have no idea where Danny is. Lula and I woke up around 2 hours ago and he wasn't here nor his room."

"I was here at 4 in the morning, checking the latest update on this series I've been following up on about cops. I didn't see him here and his door was wide open too." Merritt frowned. "I thought he would've appeared at some point from the library or anywhere for breakfast so I waited here for a good few hours just watching crap."

Realization sunk in and Dylan quickly marched to a phone on the dresser and quickly jabbed in a number before asking the caller on the other side, "Li, have you seen Daniel in the main hallway?"

"Not that I've known of, Dylan. Bu bu tossed me out of the room while I was crunching on my snacks loudly last night so I spent the entire night on the couch in the main hall. I think I did hear someone during the middle of the night but I thought it was just Thaddeus grabbing some stuff," the Chinese boy explained from the other side of the line. "Why are you asking me about Danny? Shouldn't he be with you Horsemen?"

Dylan couldn't man up and tell him Danny had disappeared so he just muttered him 'It was nothing' before hanging up. He faced the others and bit his fingernails. "He might be in the library," he muttered while pulling a coat off the coat hanger. "I'll go check!"

"I'll go ask Henley if she knows anything." Merritt quickly said while ripping out his phone and storming to his room to have a private talk with the former Horsewoman. "Danny might've talked to her."

Lula stood up and hurried to Daniels's room while shouting out, "I'll go see if he left us anything!" Jack watched her disappear from sight before he began texting Daniel's phone. 'Please be okay. Don't do anything stupid, Danny!'

Dylan reached the library and found a book regarding Lionel Shrike on the desk he sat yesterday. He found a note on it with the familiar neat handwriting of the illusionist. 'I wish you live a long life, Dylan.' This made his heartache and he flipped the note around to see if there was anything left but found nothing. 

He hurried back to the main living room for the Horsemen and found Merritt with his phone and Jack by his side. "Henley doesn't know anything. She thinks he might've had a panic attack and went to a doctor. I'm trying to connect with The Eye's main infirmary's main phone line," Merritt reported his findings.

"He's not answering my texts and I can't reach him by phone calls, Dylan!" Jack cried, tears beginning to build up. "Where is he?"

Before Dylan could answer anything, they heard Lula call them up from Danny's room and the trio hurried upstairs. They reached the room and found her sitting at the desk. She told them she found traces of this place being the last thing used after regarding the room's situation. Merritt recalled last night's conversation and joined her by the desk and opened the laptop screen.

"He was emailing someone last night. We have to know whom!" he urged before he found the device needing a password. He glanced at the others for guesses. After trying 'Horsemen', 'LionelShrike', and 'Magic', a hint appeared below the password row.

Hint: My True Name


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourself for some darkness... Completely my own idea.. You can copy it if it's interesting...

Dylan was slumped. Out of everything he knew about the Horsemen, he regretted not doing full investigations on them thoroughly. He knew Merritt kept his true name and Jack changed his name from Jake Wilfred to Jack Wilder. Henley's true name was long since she was half French. Even Lula May wasn't the girls' full name. It was Lula Victoria May. She hated how Victoria sounded like a posh old lady's name. But Danny was a complete mystery.

"His name is Daniel J. Atlas, right?" Jack frowned, actually calming down as his mind spun at this puzzle. "So it's Daniel James Atlas? Try that!" he said while typing, only to be rejected by the computer. "It's not?"  
Merritt pulled out a paper from the desk and pencil before scribbling out possible names. James, Jake, Jack, Jordan, Jeff, Jefferson, Jon? None of the names sounded right and he sat on the neat bed with a huff. "I hate these kinds of puzzles. Just try Daniel J. Atlas."

Lula tried that but was also rejected and shook her head at the mentalist. She glanced over at Dylan for any answers but their leader had a blank look in his eyes. She knew he himself was broken at the thought of not actually knowing one of his Horsemen's true names. He hurried back to his room next door and pulled out a box, which was full of files. Merritt joined him in the hurry to find Daniels's file and he was surprised to find it thinner than the rest.   
"I couldn't find much about him, to be honest," he muttered with shame while Merritt flipped through the papers. It had a history of when Daniel first became a street magician, his shows, and the commitment to improving his skills. But there was nothing about Daniel's background, true name, or any blood relatives. "I tried searching up in the FBI his birth significant but there was nothing I could do with just a stage name and a face so I tried looking into his past. Nobody could give me anything regarding him."

"Did you try the first place he appeared, Downtown China?" Merritt suggested. "I mean, surely someone knew him at that place."  
"Well, that's where you're wrong, Merritt," Dylan said. "Danny appeared out of nowhere on a truck for fruits. The owner of the truck didn't even notice when he hopped in. We check out all the places he passed by but nobody knew the name Daniel J. Atlas or his face. He was completely incognito."  
Merritt frowned while leaning back. "Look, Dylan. If we can't find out his true name, we'll never know who he emailed and where he is!" He looked around Dylan's room before his eyes landed on a laptop. "Have you done any research online?"

Dylan waved his hand in a dismissing effort. "Nothing worth reading. Just articles and I only found conspiracy stories about him. Someone suspected he's an alien from outer space that came to hypnotize humans to follow him in an attempt to conquer Earth. Someone said he's a son of a village shaman. Nothing useful." He stood up and turned on the screen before pulling up the file for Danny. "The only thing I got close to believing is this one." He opened an article entitled, 'The Hidden Dark Truth of Daniel J. Atlas!'

Apparently, a man was interviewed as a previous connection to Atlas He claimed to live with the magician in a small town. The boy was a part of a rich family that dropped after his departure and he lived off that man for shelter. That man said he used the brat until he was 15 when the boy disappeared. Merritt noticed something in the report. "Hey, Dylan? Did you compare this with your paperwork? The town he lived in was one of the destinations that Chinese vegetable truck stopped by."

Dylan sprung to the report and scanned his eyes over the list of town names. When he caught sight of the familiar name, he rechecked it twice and quickly pulled out his phone to call the man who was interviewed. His name was Alfred George. He lived with Daniel based on his story when the magician was only twelve. If things in the article were true, he was positive that the man knew Daniel before he took on his stage name.

Merritt had led Dylan back to Danny's room where that sat together, waiting for Alfred to accept the call despite them being a stranger. Dylan perked up as it was and they shared glances as the man spoke first saying the usually confused words, "Who is this?"

Dylan took a deep breath and began the conversation, praying he could get an answer to Danny's past from him. "I'm a reporter whose writing regarding the Horsemen background. You have been interviewed before answering questions about Daniel Atlas. I would like to ask you for deeper questions about the illusionist."

The man on the other side chuckled deeply before he spoke softly, "And what magazine do you work for? If you're going to publish what I know and tell you, I want my name off the chart. Don't want that kid coming after my ass after what you know about us."

'What does he mean by us?' Dylan thought in his mind before giving the man a fake name and the green light to go on with his story. He placed the phone on speaker for the other Horsemen to listen in and they huddled around him.

"You want to know the truth behind Daniel J. Atlas? Well, you better prepare yourselves to know the truth behind the slutty life I'm about to tell you. It's simple really, a young boy wanting shelter from his family. He used everything he had to get that, even his own body!" He cackled at the memories while the Horsemen gasped in unison. They weren't expecting this.

"What do you- I mean- Wha-?" Dylan gasped, only to hear the man laugh from the speaker. "You really want to hear? I can't wait for this to get publicized! The great Daniel J. Atlas had been pressured, burdened, and banished from the Dawson Household when he was ten! He lived on the streets, offering food, money, or belonging to anyone who was willing to take him in even for a day.

But he was unfortunate each place and he soon had nothing left but the thin t-shirt and shorts he needed to block the cold from freezing him. He was then offered a better opportunity for a warm house above his head and a job and a nice life IF he sold his body!" The man laughed like that statement was the best joke he had ever heard of. "And the kid, being so desperate, actually accepted that offer!"

Jack, Lula, and Merritt looked sick at the man's voice. He was telling the story like it was nothing to worry about. But to the Horsemen, they could only process his words in shock. Before they could comment, the man continued. "One day, that kid was twelve when he met me! I bought an hour or so with him and it was amazing! How he screamed and squealed like a pig under me! His tight little hole was amazing and soon filled to the brim!" They could hear the man's smile in his voice. He had truly enjoyed abusing Daniel as a child. It was no wonder the illusionist now cared from his own control. "I was into the magic that time and knew a few card tricks and when I did it, the kid was completely absorbed into it. So I taught him a bit and we began meeting each other more frequently to learn more.

He showed me his little tricks while I played with his body like the little slut he was and one day he told me he wanted a stage name. Something interesting. So, since his second name started with a D, the kid chose Daniel and J for his middle name and the last name became Atlas. The kid had chosen Atlas after reading some book about Greek crap so I let him. And as you know, the kid disappeared on me one day and never appeared but I recognized his stage name and began following his progress until now!" He concluded like a stalker. "So, are you surprised? The magician many thought to follow in his footsteps turned out to be a slut who couldn't live without pleasure!" 

Dylan clenched his teeth and held back the anger in his voice before asking the man, "So J stands for his first name. So Daniel Atlas' real name is..."

"James Dawson."


	7. Chapter 6

Dylan quickly hung up from that creep before trying out the name on the password column. As he managed to enter, he noticed the silence behind him and turned to face his fellow Horsemen.

"Guys, I know this story is disgusting but he-" Dylan began softly only for Jack to stand up abruptly with a look of anger in his expression.

"Disgusting? Are you kidding me, Dylan? I'm not disgusted in Danny!" He yelled. "That guy's a creep and accuses Danny, saying he's a slut for pleasure when he actually just wanted someone to hold him like a family! He just wanted to be acknowledged! And we were the first to actually do that..."

"It's not disgust... It's a concern," Lula said while sitting on the bed. "He had to go through so much in his life and now I'm not even sure if he's happy or not with who we are. He acts cold to me because he hasn't trusted me just yet... and now he's gone..."

"And this explains why he's gone..." Merritt muttered while facing the computer screen as he reopened the recently closed tabs. It was his email main page and a recently sent email to an address by the name 'theyespres'. It had explained he wanted out because he felt responsible for the misfortunes in Macau and were to meet in an airport to receive a flight ticket to Canada. They shared glances before bolting out of the room.

They hurried down the stairs and Li stood in the doorway with a look of discomfort. Dylan swiftly moved his hands and flashed behind Li with an apology muttered before the Chinese boy had collapsed with his hands cuffed behind his back and completely knocked out. Merritt hurried over Li's body into the closest vehicle and pulled Jack with him to help hot wire the engine. Lula hopped in the back and pulled out her phone to find the closest airport and the next flight to Canada.

"There haven't been any flights to Canada yet! The latest one is in ten minutes and it takes us at least fifteen minutes to even get there!" She cried at the reality. "We won't make it!"

"We will make it!" Dylan grunted while shoving Jack and Merritt aside before moving his fingers to wrap the wires and turning the engine on before pressing the pedal and reversing at high speed down the street before spinning the wheel. The momentum had caused the three Horsemen to fall in their seats and only on the highway did they see the look of distress on his face and decided to strap on.

The so-called fifteen-minute drive turned to an eight-minute race through the busy streets as they thought up their cover story. What would The Eye say if they found out The Horsemen were out of their safe house against orders? What should they do if fans in the airport identify them? Luckily for them, they had Dylan. And Dylan had quickly sorted out a plan in the five minutes on road.

The plan was simple. Merritt would act like giving Greenwich a farewell show and rush into the Canada tunnel where he'll grab Daniel once spotted and join the rest at the unlocked repairmen-only restricted area where the others would be waiting with stolen uniforms and the car disguised as their work vehicle. It was a rushed plan but they all agreed to it, seeing as how Jack would be able to disconnect the security camera's in the tunnel in the restricted area and Lula could act out an accident in the hall as a vomiting teen to get the audience's attention.

So as according to plan, Lula had crawled into a seat in McDonald's and watched Merritt who snuck up on a stage, which was usually used, for performances purposes while Dylan and Jack hurried into the restricted area in the stolen uniform from the unconscious people they left behind in the car.

So, phase one began quickly. Merritt had dragged everyone's attention to him as he revealed his identity as the Horseman and began telling them how living in Greenwich was great but he wanted to go visit Canada. So he began entertaining the crowd while scanning around in search of Daniel. It wasn't hard to find the Horseman who tried to disguise himself with a dark mask and cap. Their eyes met and when Daniel hurried down the tunnel, Merritt acted like he was late for his flight, apologized to the crowd, and bolted ahead, merely dodging the upcoming security guards that were onto him under orders from the FBI. 

He had managed to reach Daniel in the tunnel, only for the guy to backflip him and stand on his chest to prevent him from moving. He looked completely shocked. "Merritt? What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing, Danny-boy," he grunted from underneath him. "You trying to run away without an explanation is completely uncool..."

"I-" Daniel spluttered, uncertain of how to deal with the sudden outcome. "You shouldn't be here, Merritt. This is between The Eye and I. You shouldn't interfere."

"Oh yeah? When you actually care for us and you leaving will hope for, and I quote, 'no longer cause them troubles or inflict pain'" He growled. "You can't hide from us these kinds of things, Danny. Or should I say, Master Dawson?"

Merritt noticed how conflicted Daniel was by that name when he staggered back off him in shock. He knew the boy didn't want anyone to know his real name. And he knew that Daniel was concern about one thing. "You're past is something you share with your family; and we are your family..."

"You- you don't get it..." Daniel stuttered while taking a step back. "Y- you guys will hate me and- and you'll throw me away just like how they did... I- I- I can't let that happen again..." He spluttered while shaking his head as if he could forget this whole conversation had never happened.

"We... We won't ever hate you," Merritt tried reassuring him while taking a step forward, only to stop when Daniel threw his bag at Merritt.

"Then you-you guys will disgust me... For who I was..." he gulped while turning to run to the plane. Merritt gasped as he realized what was going on and pulled quickly talked into his earpiece. "DYLAN! STOP HIM!"

Dylan had bolted out of the restricted area and grabbed Daniel to pull him from advancing. Daniel had struggled for awhile with tears that only made Dylan's heart squeeze and he slowly whispered into his ear the only soothing thing he could think of for the illusionist. And his words had managed to cause the boy to fall into a limp body in his hold while he listened to his leader repeat those words like a magic spell. 

"I could never hate you Danny cause I care about you so much. Please stop."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff and angst here....


	8. Chapter 7

Apparently, Daniel had used every ounce of strength to try and escape the Horsemen that very day, and now he was exhausted and limp in the arms of his leader. He had no strength to fight back and no power to yell. He could only simply cry as the negative thoughts swarmed his head. ‘They’ll hate me for sure. If they managed to find out my name, they definitely know my past. They would use me the same way he did or maybe they’ll use it as blackmail material to force me to do things for them…’ He wasn’t ready to face them and when Jack said his name, he jolted in his chair.

“Y-Yes?” She stuttered, keeping his eyes on his lap and his hands fiddling around with his sleeve. He knew they would do use the information they’ve found about him to their advantage and braced himself for anything.

But he wasn’t ready for a hug from the youngest Horsemen.

Jack had stood up and pulled his idol into his arms, squeezing him tight in his warm arms. He could feel Daniel stiffen in his embrace and slightly released him while keeping his gaze on the astonished expression from his friend. “You should talk things out thoroughly. You can’t just leave without becoming the best man at my wedding with Lula!”

Merritt stared at Jack and Daniel in shock before standing and banging his head on the roof in the process. Yet he still glared at the illusionist and frowned. “OI!” He yelled, making the illusionist flitch, thinking that the punishment would come from the mentalist. Again, Daniel wasn’t prepared for the playful tone as he whined at Jack. “I thought I was the best man!”

Lula chuckled and held Daniel’s hand and this time, he was almost certain the girl would use the info but once more he was pulled into shock when Lula said, “I chose Danny cause he’ll have hair by the time of the wedding. You’ll shine brighter than the sun with that bald head of yours, Merritt!”

As the trio argued, Daniel was shoved to the front seat and he caught Dylan’s eye. At the sight of his leader, he felt thoroughly embarrassed and awkwardly took the passenger's seat. Dylan listened to the back seat people for a moment before beginning a soft conversation with Daniel. “So, you thought leaving could help us?”

Daniel was startled by the sudden conversation and bit his bottom lip before nodding, knowing his voice would crack in fear. Dylan glanced at him from the corner of his eye before he held onto the wheel with one hand and leading the second to grab ahold of Daniels's left trembling hand. Daniel’s pupils dilated in fear and he prepared his hand to get smashed onto the dashboard of pressed against a hot surface and in reflex, he shut his eyes tight.

He wasn’t prepared for the feeling of chapped lips on his hand.

His eyes shot open and the heat on his cheeks flared higher than anything at the sight of Dylan’s soft smile. Daniel’s tremble changed factors from fear to embarrassment and he quickly pulled back, uncertain of what to do nor say. Luckily for him, Dylan decided to talk.

“Look, I didn’t do much research on you because I felt like you were the type of guy who wanted it all hidden and I’m now certain you are that type,” he explained while his eyes drifted to the road. “But you have to know that some things are better said than just thought before actually commencing the actions. Like planning for a magic trick; I plan, I talk it thoroughly with you guys and then I work it out. You need everyone’s opinion to make things succeed. Do you get what I’m saying?” He asked while giving Daniel a small glance.

“I- I –“ he stuttered before grimacing at his stutter. He had it when he was younger and thought he was over it. Apparently, if he was too nervous, it would trigger the stutters and the stutters were one of the things he didn’t want any of the Horsemen to know. He tried clearing his voice and replied once more. “I-I t-thought y-you g-guys would-would h-hate me…”

When he realised how bad his stutter was, he grits his teeth and dropped his face to avoid them from seeing him blush with embarrassment. He was startled when Dylan leaned over from his side and whispered in his ear, “I think that stutter is kind of cute, Danny.”

When he heard that, for some reason, he felt like it was okay to stutter around Dylan. He felt a warm feeling bloom in his heart and the husky voice from Dylan and the way his lips were on his hand. His mind wandered to the thought of Dylan’s lips on his but he quickly pushed that thought away. ‘No way! This is Dylan Shrike! He’s not gay!’ He sneaked a peek at the smiling man while his mind wandered once more. ‘Right?’

They soon reached the safe house and when they walked in, Bu bu was there to welcome them with a warm thumbs-up as she nursed the groaning Li. Dylan, Merritt, Lula, and Jack chuckled at the sight while Daniel could only stare in confusion. When they entered the Horsemen living room and took their seats, the first thing he could think of was blurted out. “What happened to Li?”

At that very question, laughter erupted from the others and they all shared glances before looking at Daniel with soft smiles across their faces. And when Daniel saw their expressions, the fear just simply faded away. He felt safe with them, he felt like anything was possible with them and he felt like a true family. At that thought, a tear trailed down his cheek and he lowered his head to laugh. It was completely ridiculous. ‘Why did I ever doubt them? They would give me an answer that would surely satisfy me in any way!’

While he chuckled at his own stupidity while tears dropped, the others slowly pulled him into a group hug like when they were above the Thames during New Years'. And at their warmth, Daniel felt safe at last.

“So, the first one to spill about their past gets to be the Best Man,” Lula said.


	9. Chapter 8

They sat around the living room, snacks, and beverages in the middle. The seating order was to their preferences from Dylan, Daniel, Merritt, Jack, and Lula. Merritt reached out to grab a bottle of wine only to get smacked by a card from Jack and a warning glare from Lula. He frowned before leaning back on his sofa and glancing at them all.

“Well excuse me but I’m thirsty so I’ll go first with my background,” he huffed. “Hello, I’m Merritt McKinney. My past was simple, really. As you know, I’ve lived with my brother after leaving the family nest and we worked together as street performers. But one day that shank decides on robbing me of everything and I ended up in the streets making money from my mentalist powers!” He grinned before snatching the bottle he was previously aiming for and took a large chug.

“Honestly, if we know that, there’s no use of this whole thing.” Lula huffed while glaring at the happy mentalist. “At least give us private info you didn’t want anyone to know!” She yelled while getting support from her boyfriend who dangerously lifted a card.

“Okay, okay,” he sighed in defeat. “The reason I’m bald is that I once caught my hair on fire in one of the acts with Chase. After that, I refused to have hair and hated people with messy or curly hair. Sorry, Danny-boy…” he muttered while glancing over at Danny whose hair was slightly growing after the Thames ordeal.

“Well, that explains a bit. And that info was rather unique…” Daniel shrugged while watching Merritt finish his bottle. “So one piece of information for one drink or snack?”

“Yep! Me next!” Lula grinned excitedly. “My real name is Lula Victorious May and as you all know my mother stabbed my father in a fight when I was eight which started my career in bloody magic tricks. I hate my middle name since it sounds too posh!” She said swiftly while grabbing a packet of barbecue flavour crisps and a can of iced tea.

“Hey! How come you get two?” Merritt complained while watching her chomp on a chip while opening the can. “Mr. Judge!” he faced Dylan who was smiling at their antics.

“Merritt, Lula told us the reason she prefers bloody magic shows that include death and why she has never revealed her middle name,” he simply explained. “I think she deserves two snacks! All in favour?”

To Merritts’ dismay, Jack and Danny actually raised their hands and he fell silent after that. Jack heard Dylan’s stomach grumbled and faced his fearless leader. “So, Dylan. Anything to share?”

Dylan frowned at this question. There wasn’t much he wanted to talk about his past so he asked, “Is this about backgrounds only or things we want to share about ourselves?”

“I say it’s more about the things we want to share since my past wasn’t accepted,” Merritt grumbled with his arm crossed over his chest.

“Okay… then, the Interpol agent from before Lula joined, Alma had once asked me out on a date,” he said shortly while his hand reached out for a packet of French fries.

“Wait, really? That beauty?” Jack gasped. “And what did you reply? Did you accept?”

Dylan reconsidered answering this before reaching out for a bottle of water while answering, “Nope. I have someone else I’m interested in and I hope that person notices me.”

His answer sparked a new profound interest in the Horsemen and they faced their leader with looks of shock and interest. Dylan smirked while holding up the two snacks and said, “DO you really want me to have all the snacks or will you guys focus on eating something yourselves?”

They groaned in unison and sighed. They were all hungry and didn’t want to watch their leader eat everything up so they dropped the topic. “But that’s not fair! Make sure we get an answer from you, Shrike!” Lula yelled from across the room in anger.

Dylan merely smiled before glancing at the youngest boy. “So, Jack. Anything you wish to share?” Jack sat up straighter after being called and he thought back on his past before nodding.

“When I had to fake my death, I actually nearly didn’t make it. The door got stuck and the flames were reaching my clothes. I had to watch my favourite cap get burnt in the process but yeah. I actually was scared of dying for real.”

“Well, everyone fears death,” Daniel said softly while tossing Jack his favourite hamburger. Jack caught the food in reflex and stared at Daniel in surprise. Out of everyone, he didn’t expect a response from him.

“What do you mean by that?” Lula asked softly as all eyes went to Daniel. For once, Daniel wasn’t putting effort into getting the audience's attention. They wanted to help him and know him more than anyone and Daniel faced them with a sad look.

“Once I tell you my story, all of the food and drinks are mine…"


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I shouldn't.... But please... prepare yourself...

“So I was born into a rich and famous family, the Dawson’s. They own this major business company and the children were given big expectations and pressure. I was the second youngest among the five siblings. I had an older brother, twin elder sisters, and my younger brother. My true name is James Dawson, and this is the story of my life…” Daniel began while watching them all sit straighter to absorb every bit of his tale.

“My father, Mr. Silas Dawson was the head of the company with his authority allowing him to control many places and things to his own needs. He chose to do hunting wild animals and collecting animal furs for his wife's sake. He made sure his children received the top education in every aspect.

My mother, Mrs. Veronica Dawson was the owner of the Private Dawson Academy. It was an academy made for the wealthiest families that prioritised the top education. She chose to fill her office with the animal fur her husband collects and hire the top educated people around the country with money and bribery. She made sure her workers were especially strict on her children.

My eldest brother, Jake Dawson was a top gun in the curriculum aspect. He joined every sport known and learned to conquer them all. He joined various international sports and only bought and used the most expensive products. Despite his low academic marks, he covers those with his awards and ‘dazzling’ smile.

My eldest sister and the first twin, Jessica Dawson was the academies beauty. She focused all her talent and attention on fashion. She studies fashion and beauty products including the subjects that were related such as chemistry. She would make the school uniforms and the staff outfits and would criticise anyone she says fit to be described as a fat and disgusting carcass. The clothes she designed became worldwide used and her designs helped her in the business market, making her one of the youngest market selling businesswomen in the entire world.

My other sister and the second twin is Jennifer Dawson. She was the brain among the siblings. She pulled all focus on the medical field and she helps the school infirmary, telling off on the nurses that they make frequent mistakes and need to get re-educated for being buffoons. She learned everything known to mankind about Biology and won awards for creating her own living creature she calls ‘Pufflings’. She was the most successful one among the siblings and her father always said she would own the Dawson International Hospital when she graduated.

My younger brother’s name is Jay Dawson. He was only two years younger than me but had talent in the arts like no other child. He sang every song and learned every instrument globally. His performances became world-known and he soon began working under the acting department at the age of six as the protagonist in a hero series. His popularity was awe-inspiring and many fans would crowd him as if he was a teen model for a fashion magazine. (Which he did turn out to be with Jessica’s help)

And then there was me; James Dawson. I was the runt of the litter. I wanted to be the best in everything but my siblings would always manage to surpass me. In academic, there was Jennifer, in the arts there was Jay, in sports was Jake and in business was Jessica. So I tried out in something that wasn’t related to school, something that my family would acknowledge as unique. I chose magic and history.

To me, magic had a history of its own and I was always hidden in the library reading up about the background of magic in different society and religions. I began to learn hand magic of my own and my focus in my studies and curriculum dropped, thus beginning the beating. My mother first thought it was the teachers so she fired the teachers who grew on my behaviour.

But things didn’t change and they decided to see what I was doing. They forced me to wear a collar with a security camera around my neck. They were too lazy to design it well and used an old dog's collar so I walked around school looking like a pet. And the bullying began.”

Daniel stopped to catch his breath and he shuddered at the memories. Dylan slowly offered a comforting pat on his knee and the rest waited for Daniel to continue. When he looked like he couldn’t, Jack offered a chocolate bar and Daniel smiled at the gesture before continuing,

“When I wore the collar, I became aware of my actions and my private activities in the library were unable to commence so I was forced to try plan B. I would sleep during my free time and practice at night since in the household; I’m allowed to take off the collar. But when my father knew about my daily naps, he began to double training in which I completely failed in understanding. When the trainers gave my parents the reports, the by-hand punishments began.

First, it was simple beating with a cane… But it began to turn more gruesome by day…” Daniel’s voice trailed off as sweat began to form on his palms and his eyes became hollow. Merritt noticed how uneasy the man must be feeling and casually smacked his thigh to bring Daniel back to the present world. Daniel gave him a small ‘thank-you’ smile. “It worsen by the day because business wasn’t going so well for father so he told mother to change when he was concern he might strangle me to death. But my mother wasn’t so gentle.

She believed the old days had better punishment and hired an ex-military general to train/punish me to become stronger. He would force me to hold my breath underwater, hang me up, and tested how much pain I could hold back with whips… The pain became too much and my nightly magic practices were also put to hold when I needed the night to heal my fresh wounds.

Obviously, one day Jake found out about these punishments and he met up with the General, asking for lessons on which punishment was most effective. And then, I became Jake’s practicing board. He would laugh when I was forced to strip bare and take humiliating pictures of my wounds to show to his friends. See, in school, he acted like I was a ghost and called me names to avoid my real name. So known of his friends knew he was torturing his own younger brother and they soon asked if they could join.

One day, while trying to forget the pain, I began trying some magic cards tricks in the household library and I met up with Jennifer. She and Jay were nicer to me than the others so when she saw me doing the magic, she called Jay and the duo began talking to me. Previously, they would avoid eye contact since Jessica despises my sense of fashion and Jake says I’m a weakling. But when they saw me do magic, they were thoroughly impressed and Jay even asked me to teach him. I was happy to teach and explain the tactics with Jennifer and ever since then, we would meet up for fun.

Now you see, I tried to hide the fact I loved magic because it was nonsense. But my sister and younger brother saw it as knowledge and a miraculous art form so they saw no harm in blurting out my secret during dinnertime. When father and mother found out the truth, my entire life crumbled…”

Daniel leaned back into the sofa and grabbed a bottle of sake (specially brought by Li) before taking a long drink. Dylan watched as Lula held back tears and Jack’s fists were clenched at his pants. Merritt shared eye contact with Dylan and decided the rest should be unknown to the two younger Horsemen.

“Lula, Jack, I think it would be better off if you guys go and order us some food outside,” Dylan began, only to stop at the protesting from not only the duo but from Daniel himself. Dylan watched Daniel bang the bottle on the table before glaring at him warily.

“They deserve to know the truth whether they like it or not, Dylan. They aren‘t children and I believe it’s their own right to chose to hear or not the rest…” Daniel spoke seriously although Dylan could see the alcohol taking effect in his expression and softening him. “Please…”

Dylan sighed and rubbed the bridge between his eyes before nodding and letting the duo sit back. ‘This is going to be a long night…’

“Don’t even regret this, you two…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you guys have enough tissue?
> 
> CUZ IT GETS WORSEEE


	11. Chapter 10

“So, I stopped at the point where Jennifer and Jay told my parents, my love, to magic and I ended it with the sentence, ‘my entire life changed’. Well, it did…” Daniel huffed while his head hung low for a moment. When he lifted it up again, a huge unusual smile hung off his face and Dylan knew that a drunk Atlas would cause the most rotten and detailed truth to come out.

“Have you ever felt being betrayed? When mom and dad found out about what magic was to me, they ripped apart everything in my room. They stripped it bare until all I had left was a sleeping bag and a box filled with clothing made by Jessica. It was just a one-piece in the colour of grey and I had no pillow to hide anything anywhere. The things they found that were related to magic were collected and burned in front of me and father ordered every servant in the house to collect any books in the library regarding magic and to add it into the flames. I could only cry as Jake held me back and Jessica smirked as my favourite clothes were destroyed. When Jennifer and Jay saw what would happen if they associated themselves with magic, they turned away from me.

I was locked in my room after school hours, only allowed my textbooks and a single pen. The meals would be sent in through a doggy door and I was only to be let out to wash and change to school clothes or the one-piece clothing Jessica had provided me. It felt like being in a prison and day-by-day, I began to lose hope.

When I was given my pen and textbook, to keep my sanity intact, I would scribble my own thoughts on the book. When dear old dad found out, he ordered for me to be locked in the basement without food or water for three days, a normal adult's maximum limit. I was only nine but I survived on the rainwater and the dead rats a stray cat brought in for me everyday. I named the cat ‘Atlas’, seeing how it was burdened to help me forever.

Being with Atlas helped me and I would frequently scribble in the textbook on purpose to meet Atlas. My father found it strange how I began to continuously defy his orders and after a bit of investigation, he found Atlas and told the head chef to cook Atlas and serve him to me.

When I was served the meal that day, the head chef told me what dad told him to do and I began to sob. But he was kind to me and told me he secretly brought Atlas back to his house and was serving me the highest quality of beef. I was really grateful to him and will always remember his good deed.”

At that moment, Lula had to interrupt and ask, “Where is Atlas then? Atlas is still with the cook, right?” The others stared at her in disbelief and she gave a quirk of her eyebrow.

“I’ll get to that later, Lula… Just let me continue…” Daniel groaned while taking another swing of the bottle.

“O-Okay…” she awkwardly muttered while sinking into her chair. “Proceed…”

“Anyway, so know that I lost Atlas, I knew I had no reason to defy dad’s order to not scribble in the textbook so I found another way to release the tension and stay sane in that environment. In school, I would keep my focus on magic and forget my studies. I felt rebellious and wanted to show my parents I wasn’t some brat that would obey them like a dog. When my mother found out, she proceeded in placing me in separate classrooms, studying with harsh teachers and surrounded by security cameras, alone.

That was like hell. I then knew there was no way I was getting out. I had no place where I could be who I wanted to be and I had nobody to save me from my misery. But I wasn’t going to lose, I wanted to fight against them, so I kept my mind in thinking of escape plans.

On my tenth birthday, that was my limit. I was always aware of the others getting large presents and affection from the entire household during their birthday. I expected that and tried my best to act nice when inside I was plotting against them. But they had already regarded me being less than a child and more of a prisoner. They made my birthday a living hell.

Morning, I was awakened by a burning candlestick on the sole of my foot and I woke up in pain. The torturer told me I was to eat breakfast before he made me ‘in shape’ for school. I knew today, something was different and I realised what. The man in the mask and holding a knife was the head chef! Apparently, dad found out about Atlas and told him on my birthday, he was to make my body the birthday cake. I was to be washed properly, settled properly and when nighttime fell, he was told to carve a ‘Happy 10th Birthday, Son’ on my chest.

I was surprised he told me all of this. I knew it was most probably against my dads' order so I asked him why he told me. The Head Chef told me he didn’t want me to suffer anymore and he had an escape plan for me. He would follow the morning orders and ready me for school. But before I am released into school, he and his wife will be waiting in front of the school gates to bring me away from this hell. I wept at his sincerity. I’ve never met such a kind man before. I asked for his name. He said I could call him Daniel or dad.”

Daniel paused as a flush of memories hit his head and he smiled solemnly. “You know, the funny thing about Daniel was that he really wasn’t afraid of dear old dad. He was willing to go against him even though he knew deep down that his boss could control his entire life. I find it highly amusing and stupid of him to do that… He wasted his life…”

The others watched as a single tear fell down his cheek before he grinned. “Anyway, so I was ready for the plan to work but it backfired. When he drove the car down the lane, he gave me Atlas and took a single moment to turn around and reassure me everything was okay. That was his mistake. He was shot in the forehead and the car smashed into a direction pole, causing one of the signs to struck his wife's head. I sat in the car, completely shocked and covered with blood. And before I knew what was going on, I was sprinting down the street with my school bag and Atlas in my arms.

In a blind rush, I fell down a slope and fell into a river, and knocked my head unconscious. When I woke up, I found Atlas waiting by the shore with a rat in her mouth and her eyes on me. I knew at that very moment I was free but still in danger. My parents would surely come for me and they would spread the word fast so I needed to get out of town fast. I was lucky when a few fishermen saw me washing in the river and when they asked me who I was, I just said James.

They let me follow them across the border since they thought I was an orphan and let me keep Atlas. That week of traveling was nice and peaceful. Luckily, the fishermen didn’t know the Dawson family too well and had no idea they were in frenzy about their lost son. They didn’t ask for my surname so the fishermen didn’t suspect anything. But when we reached the border between Mexico and I saw how we needed a passport and I told them I was okay and I faked an act, saying I’ll go talk to an officer. I waved them goodbye and jumped into a random enclosed truck, which was moving in the opposite direction. I decided to leave my fate to God and only needed Atlas by my side.

But then, God decided to challenge me with an even worse fate..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tissues are needed for me to complete this..please sponser money for tissues!! (XD JK GUYS!!)


	12. Chapter 11

Daniel took a moment to steal a French fry from Jacks's packet and munched slowly while thinking hard on the memories. Dylan was thinking of all the made-up theories he had and none could be compared to what he was hearing. Merritt was keeping a close eye on Daniel to see if he was lying and making the entire story up but he was shocked that everything was the truth. Jack could only gawk at Daniel like he was God for facing such hardships in life and Lula was on the verge of tears, still processing the entire story, hoping it was a lie. They all perked up when Daniel continued.

“I was in the enclosed truck for who knows how long and when they opened it, I was in Chicago. Being an orphan to boot, I was tossed to the streets and I became a street rat at first. I lived with Atlas in dark alleys, feeding off any donations from by-passers and manage to obtain dead rats with Atlas’ skill. We made a living among the street rats, cooking barbecued rats and exchanging the food for shelter, money, or clothing. The school uniform had worn out after the river and rain so I was left with a thin layer of my jacket and my ripped pants. My bag supplies were mostly books and paper, which I sold off most of it to a recycling centre for money.

But then the government came along and began forcing the people off the streets. The people with relatives were told to go there or to work under the government as a cleaner. As I was only ten, they couldn’t offer me the latter so they asked me for any relatives. I was stubborn and ran off, hoping to find a different place. The cops chased me and as I turned a corner with Atlas leading the way, I wasn’t able to react when a car smashed into Atlas.”

Jack and Lula gasped at the sudden turn of events and Dylan bit his bottom lip at this story. It felt too fake and surreal but Merritt was reading Danny throughout the story and not one bit was a lie from the looks of it. Daniels’ eyes began to water and his brows furrowed suddenly as a thought came to mind.

“I remember crying and screaming. I began running away into the nearest forest with Atlas in my hands… I believed I could help Atlas. I was only a kid. In the forest, I found a hole in a tree trunk and hid in there while checking Atlas’s injury. I thought there was something I could do. But only after so long did I realize there was no pulse, no sign of breathing and the smell of decay and blood filled my nostrils. I knew Atlas had died, but I couldn’t accept it at all.

I remember collapsing in exhaustion with the body of my one companion in my arms and when I woke up the next morning, I finally let the truth sink in. I crawled out of the tree and dug a hole near that trunk. I remember placing a leftover fried rat in the tree trunk after burying Atlas. Then I was on my own.”

The others let the misery sink in before Dylan finally spoke up. “After that, you just let fate guide you. You ended up selling everything you owned for shelter and when you had nothing to give, you gave away your body. By the age of twelve, you met up with Alfred and gave in to his simple magic tricks that reawakened your talent, and then you ran away from him and took on the stage name Daniel J. Atlas. Daniel for the one man who saved you, J for your real name to stay hidden yet still known, and Atlas for the last companion, a stray cat.”

Daniel nodded sadly before something hit him. “So let me guess, you only knew that much. You talked to Alfred then, right?” he uttered while his lips were touching the bottle mouth softly.

“Ye-Yes…” Dylan finally admitted while watching Daniel smile out of the blue. “You aren’t mad?”

“I was surprised you guys found out, but I’m guessing you guys didn’t know all about my past. If you talked to Alfred, you would only know I was the missing son of the Dawson’s and I was around twelve when I sold my body off and chose street magic as my profit.” He said casually while letting the final drops of liquor hit his tongue. “So, any questions?”

The others were speechless. They couldn’t believe their main illusionist had been through so much more. The boy suffered bullying, torture, child abuse, murder, death of a close being, and sexual harassment. Yet that same boy still stood tall as their leader when they couldn’t stand anymore. When they were lost, they let that same boy guide them. They left it all in the hands of a boy who had suffered more than any normal adult could face.

Jack was the first to move as he pushed the entire table towards Daniel. “Well, you were right. This all belongs to you. I think we should buy something proper for dinner.” He said while standing up.

“I’ll follow Jack and choose out something nice…” Lula quickly joined her boyfriend for some air and a moment to comment with someone she knew she could rely on.

Merritt watched the duo disappear before he stood up and grabbed all the liquor from the table. He glared at the drunk boy and ruffled his short hair before saying, “That’s enough drinking for you, Mr. Atlas. I’ll go fetch you some cold water and see if we have some ingredients for hang-over soup.”

When Merritt disappeared into the kitchen, Daniel stared at the snacks in front of him and moved around to see which one seemed nice. He caught sight of chicken-flavoured chips and he moved it aside. Dylan noticed this and smiled.

“Do you remember anything about where Atlas was buried? Besides the tree trunk and the forest?” he said softly, hoping to keep things light.

“I’m not so sure. I think it was in front of a casino. I remember watching drunk people pass by when I buried Atlas.” He said while deciding on a sour cream Mr. Potatoes and pulled the packet open. He offered it to Dylan who took it casually and they stared off at the blank TV screen that reflected them.

“You know, I met Jennifer the other day…” Daniel muttered out of nowhere, causing Dylan to turn his head in a whiplash. “Around the time you gave me the lover card.”

“Before you became a Horseman? What happened?” Dylan asked while watching Daniel’s expression harden. “If it’s something you wish for me to disclose, then-“

“No… Not really. I just feel like telling you might be good,” he shrugged while chomping on a chip. “I think if I tell Jack or Lula, they’ll immediately tell me to forget her and ignore whatever she said. If I told Merritt, the man would want to meet her personally to confirm stuff. I don’t want to hate her nor do I want her to get eaten up for something she couldn’t do.”

“You mean; you don’t hate her?” Dylan asked. “What did she say?”

“She had seen my performances for a while and been following me online. She works at the hospital like how father had said and she’s using the extra savings to donate to me every now and then when I wasn’t looking. She said she’s happy to see me like this.”

“She… She’s happy? Does she even know what you went through?” Dylan asked while imagining a rich girl facing Danny in a lab coat and offering money like it was nothing. “How can she act so easily around you?”

Daniel shifted in his seat before he leaned back and sighed. “She’s been trying to contact me face-to-face for a while now. Apparently, she’s been searching for me privately with the help of researches in hospitals that she’s being known to help every now and then. But nobody registered under my name so she was worried about me.” Daniel looked at the ceiling before his frown deepened. “And there was something big happening among the Dawson’s that day.”

Dylan sat up and watched his expression change to loath and he asked slowly, “What happened?”

“Father was dying. He didn’t have long."


	13. Chapter 12

“Father was dying. He didn’t have long.” He muttered, making his leader stand abruptly and hitting the table, making all the cans fall over. “He said he wanted to meet me.”

‘What the hell? After all the hell he made Danny face, he still thinks he wants to meet Danny like nothing ever happened?’ “And did you meet him?” he asked, trying to hold back his anger, knowing Daniel wanted him to take this all calmly.

Daniel looked at him with a dumb frown before answering swiftly. “Sure did. You even followed, Dylan.”

Dylan stared at him, dumbfounded by the turn of events, and began to trace back on his memory with Daniel. He suddenly recalled Daniel’s sudden request after the framing of Thaddeus to visit the hospital. Dylan thought Danny needed some painkillers so he drove him there and waited in the car for him to return.

“What the hell? You could’ve told me this sooner, Danny! That was an important moment of your life and I would do anything to stand by your side if you were to face that monster!” He yelled, practically furious the boy didn’t tell him.

“But you didn’t know my past, Dylan and I had no reason to tell you then. I thought it would be okay and it was.” He said casually while his expression lightened at the sight of Dylans’ rage. “I’m guessing you’ve forgotten what happened afterward, right?”

Dylan looked back at the memory but it was all fuzzy so he shook his head. Daniel laughed before retelling the story of their past. “So anyway, I told you one day I wanted to go to the hospital and you were like ‘Why?’ and I said I wanted to go and you just shrugged and you drove me there. I got out, followed the directions from this nurse, and met my entire family.”

Dylan literally tripped over his own feet at the very thought and glared at Daniel who gave him an amused smile. “Your entire family. I’m totally expecting a ‘who-are-you’ greeting to come up next.”

“Actually, Jay gave me a bear hug and Jennifer smiled and thanked me for coming. I really did like those two.” He chuckled, making Dylan gawk. “I was over the entire vendetta and held only a grudge on a few people like Jake and my parents. Jessica regarded my fashion sense with a rare smile and my mother sat with Jake in the back as if they were afraid of me.”

“Well, they should because you even managed to get an adult man into jail at the age of 20. I’d say that would scare the shit out of anyone,” Dylan commented, smiling alongside Danny, happy to see the illusionist slowly forget the past. “And what happened?”

“Dad was laying on the bed. Jennifer said how he was diagnosed with a ripped heart and didn’t have long to live if he kept up with the depression. He didn’t even try to stop the depression and wouldn’t tell anyone why until he saw me on TV.” Explained the illusionist flatly, making Dylan’s smile drop. “He said he regretted everything he did to me and how he had caused the death of the head chef. He regretted how he tried to push me away from the things I loved and wanted to make amends. He was actually planning to just die out with this regret since he felt like he deserved it.”

“AND HE DID!” Dylan yelled, making Daniel flinch at the sudden raise of tone. “I’m sorry to say this Danny but he deserved death more than anyone. First, he let out all his anger on you, then he stripped you of everything you loved, then he killed and forced you to make you his dog! He deserved death as much as Satan does!”

“Yes, but he’s my father,” Daniel suddenly intervened making Dylan stop in his tracks. “He was the man who smiled at me when I was born, caressed me when I was scared, and read to me bedtime stories when I couldn’t sleep at night. He was my father and me- I couldn’t bring myself to hate him.”

Dylan realised Daniel was started to tear up and he sat beside him and pulled him into a hug as he sobbed into his chest. Dylan was sure the alcohol was to blame for Daniel’s abrupt change in emotion yet he knew this Horseman was holding in so much more. He held him gingerly as he cried out all his tears.

“Dad said he should’ve learned to handle his own anger! He should’ve let me live how I wanted to and he shouldn’t have pressured me! He apologised, Dylan! A feat I thought would never happen and his dying breath was his apology to me! I couldn’t just ignore his honest last words and I accepted my part of his will. He left me nearly half of his possession and gave me the position as head of the Dawson’s! But I didn’t want that and I gave it away to someone, not from the Dawson family! I couldn’t trust Jake, and Jay was too young while Jennifer and Jessica had their companies! I feel like I did the wrong thing but at the same time I don’t want connections with them!”

Lula and Jack had returned and they stood in the doorway in silence as the sound of Daniels sorrows echoed through the Horsemen quarters. Merritt stood behind a wall, listening in, and kept his porkpie over his eyes. And through that all, Dylan held Daniel as he would never let him go until the boy finally began to quiet down to whimpers… and the silence.

After a few minutes or so, Dylan called out to the rest, “He’s asleep!” and they appeared. Lula was wiping tears and Jack placed the pizza’s on the table before joining Dylan in the living room to see Daniel. Merritt also joined them and smiled softly at the sight of Daniel snoring lightly in Dylan’s arms. “He looks so peaceful.”

“He must’ve bottled up a lot throughout the years of his life. I’m sure there’s more to this but right now he needs sleep.” Dylan said while lifting him up slowly and settling him in a comfortable position in his arms. “He must’ve thought we would also abandon him or kicked him out if we found him a nuisance so he wanted out before he could feel betrayed again.”

“But he should know that we actually care for him, right?” Lula said while fixing his collar and ruffled his hair lightly. “We’re like one big organism!”

“I’m sure he knows…” Dylan smiles at them all. “He just hasn’t let that thought sink in yet since he still remembers his family. You guys have to understand, unlike you guys who have no parents or chose to leave them behind; this guy is still connected to them by property and name. He is the rightful owner of the biggest company in the world yet is uncertain on how to truly let it all in.”

“So what he needs is time,” Jack concluded while Merritt added, “and someone to talk to. I’m sure we can offer those.”

“Okay, eat dinner and go to sleep, okay guys? I’ll bring Danny up to his room first before hitting the sack.” Dylan yawned while shifting his hold on Daniel.

“Sure thing, Dylan. Good night!” Lula and Jack smiled while Merritt gave him a nod. Dylan waved them goodnight while walking up the stairs.

When he reached Danny’s room, he found it exactly how they left it, the computer open and the bed messed up. He gently laid the boy down and looked around for a blanket. When he did, he turned around to tuck him in, only to find the boy gripping the edge of his shirt. His grip was tight and Dylan felt like a bully if he pulled back like stealing a kid from his treasure, so Dylan simply sat by his side and pulled the blanket over them both.

“Goodnight, James.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if you prefer Dylan calling Daniel; Daniel or James?? I'm truly curious...


	14. Chapter 13

Daniel felt lightheaded at first and he tried to stand up and close the curtains to get more sleep. But a sharp pain suddenly poked into his mind and he groaned in agony while slumping back down. He heard a snore by his side and his mind woke up. ‘Wait for a second… What the hell happened last night? I recall telling them my past and…’ He cringed as his memory became fuzzy by the alcohol and he recalled the sake bottle he finished. ‘Darn it, I’m never drinking again… Did I end up sleeping with Lula or a random girl?’

With his head to the side, he opened his eyes, only to see the small adorable curly hair of his leader. And only one thing came into his mind. ‘WHAT-THE-ACTUAL-FUCK?’ He pulled back and hit the wall behind him, keeping as much distance possible from his leader. ‘WAIT A SEC- WE SLEPT TOGETHER? NO WAY! Get ahold of yourself, James! He’s on the floor in a sitting manner and he’s wearing clothes. I don’t think I did anything wrong last night…right?’

His mind flashed back to when he told Dylan about meeting his father at his deathbed and him brawling his eyes. That very thought made the illusionist groan and tuck his head between his legs. ‘I’m sure I looked pathetic to them. What kind of leader am I if I cant keep it together for the sake of the team?’

While he drowned in his own dismay, Dylan slowly slurred away and his eyelids fluttered open while he took in his surroundings. “O-oh… Good morning, Danny,” he yawned before stretching his stiff muscles. “What time is it?”

Danny realised the sun had been long up in the sky, meaning it wasn’t early in the morning anymore. His eyes darted to his digital cloak and he gasped at the time. “WE SLEPT IN!” He cried while dashing up to his locker to grab a pair of clothes. “Dylan! I-I’m truly sorry about last night! I’ll g-go cook-“ he was interrupted when a pair of strong arms pulled him back into the bed covers.

“Pipe down, Danny. It’s only ten in the morning…” He complained while pulling the blanket over his head to hide from the sun rays. “Let’s get another hour of sleep!” He began to whine before he settled down and his light snores filled Daniel’s ears.

Daniel stared at the sleeping figure in disbelief. ‘He… He’s not mad?’ He tried to pull out but Dylan had him in lockdown and he stared at the ceiling with his head spinning. ‘I thought they would hate me… I thought they would despise me… I thought they would throw me away and be disgusted by me. But I was wrong. I-‘ He was surprised when tears began to fall and he smiled at his fortunate life.

“Thanks, guys…” He muttered while caressing his leaders' hair. “Thanks, Dylan,” he muttered while sleep-filled his mind and he fell into sleep in the strong arms of Dylan.

Not so long after Daniel fell asleep, the remaining three Horsemen peeked into the room and took in the scene displayed in front of them. “They look so peaceful together!” Lula smiled while holding Jack's hand tighter.

“Too peaceful. I’m sure they don’t mind me taking this,” Merritt chuckled under his breath and snapped a photo of the sleeping duo. “Although I do plan on using it as blackmail material for Dylan.”

Before he could save it into his photo album, a card suddenly zipped past his fingers, and Merritt whisper-yelled at Jack for interrupting him. But the boy wasn’t armed with his cards and he was staring with a pale face at something in the room. When Merritt returned his gaze onto the bed, did he realise Dylan was glaring at him angrily while his arms tightly held Daniels's sleeping figure?

“Do you want to wake him up? He needs his sleep, McKinney!” He hissed loud enough for them to hear the anger in his voice. “You can keep the picture but send it to me and leave. Danny’s been through a lot and I don’t want you guys disturbing him!”

Jack lifted his hands in defeat and backed off with the rest. Merritt was down, seeing how the blackmail material wasn’t something useful and Lula smiled at their behaviour. Everything was back to normal and she wanted it to stay that way.

Dylan sat in bed, not feeling tired anymore. He knew Daniel was a light sleeper in general so he moved as little as possible to avoid waking him up and headed for the door. But he stopped in his tracks as he heard a soft groan escape the bed.

“Dylan? What’s going on? Is everything alright?” He asked while sitting up, revealing his cute bed hair, and began rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Sorry, Danny. Did I wake you up?” Apologised Dylan, while heading back to the bed to help him up. “I was just going to head for my room and take a shower. You should take one too before going down for breakfast, you need something to eat.”

Daniel knew arguing against Dylan was useless when it came to his personal health so he sighed and nodded in agreement before accepting the offered hand and stood up wobbly. He smacked his dry lips and ruffled his hair before yawning deeply and began shuffling to his locker to grab some clothes. “You can shower first, Dylan. Who knows when you’ll drop back to sleep,” he explained while looking through the neat piles of clothing.

Dylan stared back at him ridiculously before scoffing, “No can do, Danny. You look like you’ll drop dead if I leave you here for one second. You go take a shower first.” He concluded while walking towards the illusionist to face him. “I can wait.”

“This conversation will be on repeat unless one of us accepts, right?” Daniel groaned in annoyance while pulling an arm over his eyes to block the light. Dylan answered with a short yes and waited for the illusionist to give in. But to his surprise, he said, “Let’s shower together,” instead.

Dylan stared at him like he was a newborn baby that he never met and blinked furiously to get his bearing straight. ‘Did I just hear that right? The Daniel J. Atlas is offering to shower with me?’ He shook off that possibility and gaped. “C-Can you repeat, Atlas?”

Daniel gave him an awkward smirk before nodding, “I just offered to shower alongside you, Agent Rhodes. I believe you want your back scrubbed at your age,” he chuckled at his own joke before grabbing a towel from a rack and tossed it at him. “I mean, we only have one shower and we’ll stay arguing if we don’t choose.”

Dylan let that sink in before huffing with his crossed arms and slipped the towel around his neck, “Fine. And I’m not that old, Daniel. Our age difference isn’t so far…”

They walked towards the door and joined each other in the shower after trying their best to avoid the other Horsemen gazes. Once in, Dylan stripped and wrapped his towel around his waist before taking a seat at a stool. He twisted the tap and filled the bucket before spraying his back with a groan of pleasure. “That feels great…”

Daniel pursed his lips at that statement before shrugging it off and squatted by Dylan’s side. He tried to keep his gaze away from his leader’s tanned muscular back but soon was unable to when a dry cough caught his attention. “I-Is t-t-there s-some-something y-y-you w-want?”

Dylan smiled at the cute stutter and turned around, witnessing the furious blush on the illusionist, and took in his pale figure. It was pale and slim, only a bit soft muscle to show off and he had sweat dripping down his chin nervously. The magician decided to spare him the embarrassment and turned back while leaning down to his knees. “As you suggested, will you scrub my back? There’s a spot I could never reach.”

Daniel felt his cheeks flare up even more at the word choice and he nodded feverishly before looking at the soap bottles. ‘W-W-What should I do? I’ve never done this before!’ He squirted a bit onto his palms before spluttering, “I-I-I’ll do my b-best!”

“Sure you will,” Dylan hummed while feeling Daniel’s palms slowly spread onto his firm back.

At the very touch of his bareback, Daniel froze momentarily and processed the situation. ‘H-H-He’s so firm! I can’t believe I’m-AH!!!! Get ahold of yourself, Daniel! Dylan’s surely not going to have feelings for you! He has-‘ His mind shifted back to last night's conversation and the question spilled out his lips without any thought; “Who do you like, Dylan?”

Dylan froze at his question and let the silence suffocate them. The sound of water rushing into the tub filled the silence and he glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widen at the sight of his favourite illusionist blushing deeply like a maiden and the corner of his lips curled upwards.

“Why do you ask?” he asked slyly, watching him jolt. “Are you interested in my love affairs, Danny?”

“O-O-Of c-course not,” she stuttered while adverting his gaze to the wall while scrubbing Dylan’s back in a rush to finish. “I-I j-just t-thought back… back on last night. T-T-That’s all!”

Dylan took in his answer with a superior smirk before leaning back suddenly into Daniels’ personal space, catching him off guard. His smile was wide-reaching ear-to-ear as he spoke with his husky voice, “If I were to say, Alma?”

The very mentioning of the French Interpol agent gave effect immediately. Daniels's gaze lowered to his feet, watching the sods slip into the drain. His throat felt dry at the very thought of the blonde agent in his leader’s arms and he felt an ache in his heart. Something he’s been feeling for a long time. ‘Pain and regret? About what?’

When he realised Dylan was awaiting an answer, he gave a weak smile before pushing up to wash away the soap on his hands and replied, “W-W-Well i-if t-t-that’s y-your ch-choice, I have no r-reason t-to argue with your d-decision.”

He stood and turned the shower knob quickly, spaying him water. As he let the water block his eardrums, he became unable to react to Dylan’s next movement. The elder male had washed off the soap and gently leaned over to Daniel’s ear before whispering, “Is that what you really want, James?”

What happened next completely caught him off guard. Daniel dropped to his knees, his eyes wide and his body trembling. Dylan swiftly lowered himself to shack him off the trance and sighed as he looked at him with eyes full of life. Only, there was something else in his gaze. ‘A look of affection?’

“Danny? Is there something wrong?” he asked nervously, hoping he didn’t prod on something he shouldn’t have. “Did you not like being called that?”

To his relief, the boy shook his head and when he stopped that reply, he kept his eyes glued to the floor before mouthing something soft. Dylan had to lean in to hear his words as he whispered, “I-I-I d-d-don’t m-mind if-if it’s y-you, Dylan.”

With that, the illusionist pushed himself up carefully and turned off the shower, and walked off, leaving Dylan on the floor, completely flustered. 

‘What just happened?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is the stutters cute??


	15. Chapter 14

Daniel stood in his room, staring at his bed while his hand lay clenched over his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart. The husky voice of his leader rang through his mind on repeat, as he called him by his true name.

Daniel wasn’t used to being called ‘James’ by anyone besides his family after changing his name. He thought the name James Dawson had left the world for good. But being called James by his leader had led to something completely new. His heart hammered into his eardrums, his legs felt weak and his face felt on fire. It wasn’t a bad feeling… instead, he felt happy about the feeling. ‘Is this affection?’

Before he could indulge himself with his thoughts for longer, he heard footsteps approaching and a smile appeared at the playful tone behind the door said, “You going to finally eat something, Danny? We have your favourite toast and coffee prepped right now!”

His heart slowed down and he opened a crack from the door to answer Lula, “I-I-I’ll b-be t-there s-soon, Lula. T-thanks,” he stuttered before cringing horribly at the outcome. ‘I really need to control this…’

Fortunately, Lula found it cute and didn’t laugh. Instead, she gave a soft smile before nodding. “Well, we’ll be waiting for you at the table! Don’t you dare try to get another plane ticket without our consent, okay? Or I’m really going to take your entire stake of blankets!”

He laughed at her threaten before she let him close the door to change and he quickly hurried to his locker. After grabbing a turtleneck jumper and slacks, he opened the door to face his warm morning breakfast.

Merritt sat on the sofa, his face covered by his porker hat while his legs crossed on the armrest. When he heard Daniel’s footsteps approaching, he lifted his gaze slightly before grinning. “Well, if it ain’t Danny-boy! You want to drink after all that last night?”

“A-Are you k-k-kidding m-me, McKinney?” He stuttered in annoyance before pulling a chair out from under the table. “You kn-knew how b-b-bad I am w-w-with al-alcohol. You c-c-could’ve s-s-stopped me before I get h-hit by h-h-hangover p-p-pain…”

“Well, you’re cute with and without your stutter!” Grinned the mentalist before ducking away from an attack attempt. “How rude! You should accept the compliment for yours truly when it comes to cuteness! I barely call anyone cute!”

The illusionist ruffled his hair in frustration before shaking his hair. “W-W-Well h-hearing it-it f-from y-you d-d-doesn’t s-sound s-so good.” He grits his teeth at his old stutter before groaning into his arms. ‘I should ask Henley for those tips she used back in the day…’

“Then you wouldn’t mind who calling your stutter cute?” Jack asked while serving his idol his breakfast on a tray. “If Merritt can’t; I’m sure neither can I!”

“N-N-Nobody should be even h-hearing this,” he whined sadly. “I-I ma-managed in the past… I’m s-sure I can a-again.”

“Now why would you do that? You’re so cute right now,” a voice interrupted while a pair of strong arms wrapped around Daniel’s neck.

After the arms settled around him, a large weight pushed onto his back and head and he felt a sharp stump scratch his forehead. He looked up at the elder man and blushed promptly at the small distance between them. He had a relaxed expression while snuggling into the warmth of Daniel’s hair. The others watched in amusement while Daniel turned into a tomato.

“D-D-D-DYLAN!” he frowned while trying to pull away from his face. “T-T-This isn’t a l-laughing s-s-subject! I-I really d-d-don’t like p-pe-people h-hearing me like this!”

Jack gently pulled him off his idol before the boy laughed softly, “He’s right, Dylan. We can’t do any shows if our main illusionist is a stuttering mess! We need to find a way to fix it!” He glanced at Daniel with a look of interest before asking, “So how did you manage to fix it last time?”

Daniel didn’t need to go far into his memory. “Henley d-did s-s-s-something. I t-t-think it w-w-was a s-sort of m-m-massage or s-something. She h-had me in a t-t-trance though so I’m n-n-not entirely sure.”

Merritt had propped up at the mentioning of Henley’s name and he pulled out his phone before saying quickly, “I’ll ask! She’s more open with me!” And with that said, he hurried off into his room.

The others watched him rush into his premises before Lula chuckled, “He really can’t hide how obviously attached he is to Henley, can he?”

The others laughed at this before they began to eat breakfast. Dylan kept his gaze on Daniel’s figure before his mind wandered to the toilets incident. ‘He didn’t mind me calling him James… Does that mean he trusts me enough or he... he isn’t affected by it like how Alfred would call him?’ He rubbed his chin in thought while Jack leaned over to serve him a cup of dark coffee.

At the sight of the youngster, and an idea popped up and he grabbed him by the arm before whispering something into his ear. Wilder listened carefully to his words and shook his head in dismay. ‘You’re kidding me, right?’ He thought in shock.

To his surprise, the elder just gave a strict nod, completely causing the boy to under a wave of pressure. The task was simple but he was concern if it might ruin his relationship with his idol. He finally gave in and lowered himself into his seat before asking, “S-So, is there anything you want to enjoy tonight, James?”

Lula stared at him in disbelief and shock before quickly whipping her gaze to Daniel. To their equal shock, he had frozen in his seat, pale as a ghost. Jack and Dylan hurried to his side and the card magician began shaking his shoulders in concern.

“I-I’m so sorry, Danny! Please forget that! I was just trying-“ he cried, only to stop at the sight of his idol going stiff at his slight touch and withdrew his fingers from his shoulder. ‘No way! What should we do?’

But Dylan was way ahead of him and gently pulled him to face him. His eyes looked deep into Daniel’s lost gaze and he yelled as loud as possible, “SNAP OUT OF IT, DANNY!”

He jolted in realisation and blinked twice before taking in his surroundings. The sight of the trembling anxious lovebirds and his concerned leader made guilt form into his chest. “S-S-Sorry…” he muttered softly with his head hung low. “I w-w-went into a-a t-tr-trance again, huh…”

Jack sighed in relief before slowly shaking his head with a smile, “It’s not your fault, Danny. I should’ve known that would be a bad idea…” He gave his leader a death glare before accusing him, “Dylan told me to try it out! See what happened, Dylan? I shouldn’t have obeyed that stupid-“

“You’re right,” sighed the eldest man while biting his bottom lip with concern. “I shouldn’t have suggested such a thing. Are you hurt in any way, Danny?”

The main illusionist gave them both a shaky ‘no’ before stuttering, “I-I-I j-j-just n-need t-to f-f-find a c-c-cure…” He looked up at them with a weak positive smiled before asking nervously, “Y-Y-You guys w-will h-help m-me t-t-till t-the e-e-end… R-R-Right?”

The trio couldn’t help but smile at his earnestly. In the past, the illusionist would always try to deal with his own problems without involving them. It may have been due to his past traumas regarding dealing with people such as Alfred. Now, he is trying to change and opens up to them. Even if it were slow, they would wait. They had their whole lives ahead of them to stay by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stutters are tough to write tbh...


	16. Chapter 15

After sending Henley a message, Merritt hurried back downstairs and found the others smiling around the table like a warm family. Very playfully, he placed his porker hat on Daniel’s unruly hair and leaned by his side while snatching a piece of waffle. To his surprise, the illusionist didn’t argue and instead gave him a dumb grin.

“W-When I recover, t-the f-f-first t-thing I’ll d-do is making you p-payback,” pointed out the younger boy while forking his own piece and nibbling on the edge. “B-but for now, I’ll l-let it slide, M-Merritt.”

The mentalist couldn’t react much, not used to such aside from his teasing kid. In the end, he gave in with a chuckle and glanced over at Dylan. His leader was flipping through a book with a cup of warm coffee in his hand. Merritt quirked a brow at his enthusiasm and asked loudly, “So, what’s the plan right now? What do we do, kill Alfred?”

Their reactions were priceless; Merritt had silently wished he had taken a video. Lula jumped in her set, completely falling over and spilling her glass of orange juice over her pink tank top. Jack had pressed his knife too hard on his plate, giving the cutlery a new irregular bent. Dylan had lifted his cup to his lips when the sentence was asked and ended up coughing in his drink and was currently trying to dry out his book. But none of that could compare to Daniels’.

The boy looked as pale as a ghost, he had frozen in his chair, eyes lost in the dark memories. When he realised he hadn’t chewed and tried to swallow down a huge chunk of his breakfast, he ended up choking harshly and doubled over, heaving in pain, hoping to free his poor throat from the food. In a panic, he began banging his hand on the table, calling for help.

Stifling a laugh, he went ahead and gently patted Danny’s back. After a while, a chunk of wet indescribable gunk came flying out onto the table and the illusionist began hacking at his sore throat in pain. Merritt did circular movements softly on his back in a soothing motion while Dylan passed over a cup of cool water. Daniel gulped it whole in mere seconds before giving Merritt an unreadable expression.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. “Don’t you hate that a-hole for openly bragging his sexual assaults on you to random people? He deserves more than death!”

“I’m g-g-grateful of your c-ca-caring emotions, M-M-McKinney,” muttered the illusionist while placing the cup back on the table. “B-But right now, I c-c-can only t-t-th-think on how to h-h-heal and p-p-prepare us all for our next s-s-showcase.”

When they all stared at Daniel, the boy shifted uneasily on his seat while asking awkwardly, “I-I’m not m-m-missing anything, r-r-right? Y-You g-g-guys didn’t think of anything w-while I w-was s-s-sulking, r-right?”

Fear struck his heart as negative thoughts swarmed his mind. ‘Did they think I’m incapable of magic anymore and had planned to kick me out? Will they toss me out on the streets? Where will I live? What if he-‘

Dylan had noticed dark clouds swarm the bright eyes of his prodigy and he gently slid out of his seat and hurried to the coffee machine, filling a mug. Swiftly moving about, he added a cube of sugar, a dash of milk, and a love letter before waving the cup by Daniels's nose. To the others utter surprise, he snapped out of it and stared at the beverage in bewilderment. “Wha-?”

“Firstly, we need to bang things straight,” he said while placing it into Daniel’s outstretched hands. “We will always be by your side until the day I die. I won't allow the Horsemen to either disband or let any leave without my consent. So don’t you start worrying your ass off about ideas like we’re going to kick you off and we think you’re incapable of magic!”

Merritt nodded in agreement at his leader's words before adding, “You’re the best magician ever known to mankind for the past decade and in my opinion, that’s fucking amazing. Even if you can’t now, I’m sure the feeling will return to your inner spirit and- what’s the word? Oh right- enlighten us of your brilliance.” He took the hat off his head and wore it back on with a dumb grin. “If I'm lucky, my hat may absorb your skills and transfer it to my amazing brain to shrink yours and let me obtain your magnificence!”

Lula snorted at his statement and returned to her seat while stuffing her lips with a slice of bread before muffling, “DWERES NYO WAY WEEYL QUIK YOU OOOT! YOU’RE AWSHOME!”

Jake laughed at his girlfriends' awful habit and passed down a tissue box to wipe the spill she caused, before adding, “You’re are second-in-command, Danny. You lead us when Dylan’s too blind with hot chicks, so we need you even if that ass doesn’t!”

Dylan’s face lit up like a candle and he glanced over at Daniel. To his surprise, he saw the sorrowful look he had when he asked regarding Alma last night. He looked down at his clenched fist for a moment before standing up with a look of determination. “Guys, there’s something I want to get straight before you guys keep assuming crap! So, please tell me if it’s something you guys will oppose…”

All eyes on their leader as sweat accumulated over his forehead. His cheeks burned with embarrassment at the glances and gulped. When his gaze met Daniels, his stomach lurched with a happy sensation and he took a deep breath. ‘Here goes!’ “I’M ACTUALLY IN LO-“

At that very moment, the door burst open by a woman in high heels, a fluffy hoodie, and the shortest skirt ever existed. Dylan’s words got caught at the disturbance and the other Horsemen followed his gaze to the stranger. She had worn huge heart-framed sunglasses and a thick layer of make-up. At the sight of the magicians, her smile grew to her ears and she ripped off her glasses before revealing her identity with a friendly greeting, “GUYS! I’M BACK!”

Merritt's expression formed a look of great ecstasy at her identity and stood up in a rush while he grinned wickedly, “HENLEY! I’m so glad you came!”

Jake hurried over to greet his former female magician while dragging Lula to introduce the newbie. Merritt had already reached her side by the time Dylan and Daniel stood side by side at the table in complete shock. Henley realised the duo weren’t coming over and frowned. “What? You guys don’t miss me?”

“Y-Y-You… Wh-When… H-How c-c-come y-you came s-so f-fast?” spluttered Daniel, while staggering down the stairs with Dylan tailing him. “M-M-Merritt just m-m-message you a-awhile ago… R-right?”

Her smile grew incredulously and she approached the nervous illusionist before patting his shoulders. The others had silenced to see what would happen to the former lovers and were surprised by her sudden laugh. Henley held onto Daniel’s shoulder to keep herself from falling to her knees. She held her stomach gingerly as her ribs crushed her lungs. The laugh didn’t end even after Daniel glared at her furiously. When Merritt tried calling her back to reality, she had suppressed giggles before speaking normally, “I-I never thought t-this would happen again! –you sound so cute, Atlas! What the hell happened?”

Blushing furiously at her reaction, Daniel pounded in frustration before replying as normal as possible. “T-T-Things j-j-just h-happened, Hen-Henley. C-Can you just skip the l-laughter and h-help me r-r-return to n-normal?”

Merritt stood by Henleys' side with a small pocket of tissue to wipe the tears of joy at her cheeks before he stated casually, “You actually came in at the worse timing, Honey.” His eyes met Dylan whose face grew hot in realisation. “Our leader was just about to say something regarding his love affairs! Would you like to join us in hearing what he has to say?”

“McKinney! Drop it!” Yelled Dylan while he noticed the other's smug face (besides Daniel who looked confused and generally worried). “I-It’s just something I wanted to say after you guys keep assuming my previous relationships with Alma, that’s all!”

“Assuming? Alma? What did I miss?” Henley asked while glancing at Lula for answers from someone of the same gender.

“Tons of stuff! I’ll fill you in tonight!” Promised the younger female before returning her gaze to her leader. “So, please commence your speech, Lional!”

“I hate you guys…” Muttered Dylan while rubbing his temples in frustration. He hoped his silence would note them of his stubbornness. Unfortunately, their gazes kept on him until it burned into his skin and he glanced at Daniel. The younger male also looked curious and he couldn’t resist the cute look on his face. “I hate you all…”

He bit the inside f his cheek before taking a deep breath and finally confessing, “I’m in love with James Dawson and there’s no changing that fact.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh...im stuck here... hopefully I'll be able to update... please give kudos... It took me forever to make this without crying... Im still thinking on how to cure Daniels stutters... Maybe something intense??? AWAIT MORE! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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